What kind of friend "waliy/awliyaa" is?
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peace all,
one of the meaning of 'waliy' (plural 'awliyaa' beside 'protector' is 'friend'. i curious what kind of friend considered as 'waliy' since there are a lot of rules we have to obey regarding this term in quran.
let's say i have 3 friends on my campus.
friend 1 we greet each other when passed by; we chat about general things like tasks or weather if we incidentally meet. very limited interaction.
friend 2 this friend is closer than friend 1. we make deep discussions about many issues in life quite frequently.
friend 3 this is my closest friend. we share our feeling, our problems, even some of our secret. i will lend him money when he need and vice versa; we can rely on each other; we are so close just like brothers.
so, which one is considered as my 'waliy' in arabic language?
only friend 3, or 3 and 2, or all of them above?
please share your arabic knowledge guys -
from PRL; Protecting benefactor; Helper; Ally; Successor; Heir; Guardian.
I consider wali more of a protector/ally in terms of someone who gives you aid or support, or protects/defends you.
Rather than simply a freind or companion, Hence the prohibitions, in my understanding are talking about for example dont seek shelters/allies/protectors/supporters from among the categories of people mentionedIn my opinion friend 3 is wali.
However that is only my understanding i would recommend looking it up, doing a bit of research.
Im by no means at all an expert in Arabic.
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thank you for your answer, timotheus
actually i share your opinion. considering the other meanings of waliy, it tend to mean 'close friend' in term of friend. what make me still doubt is there is no translation that exactly state 'close friend'. some translation that use friend rather than ally just write it as 'friend', not 'close friend'.
Yusuf Ali O ye who believe! Take not for friends unbelievers rather than believers...
Pickthal O ye who believe! Choose not disbelievers for (your) friends in place of believers...
Arberry O believers, take not the unbelievers as friends instead of the believers...
my arabic-indonesian dictionary also state 'friend' (beside ally, protector, helper, and lover), not 'close friend'.